Bluebell aka Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)

Olympic N.P., WA, 8/2010.

Often called “Bluebells of Scotland” to distinguish it from Mertensiapaniculata, these can be found virtually anywhere, from sea level to treeline, from Alaska to Mexico. The Latin, rotundiflora, refers to the small, round leaves that are often withered away by the time the plant flowers (some leaves can be seen in the photo above).

It is indeed native. Wildflowers of the Northwest describes it as “circumboreal” which seems to mean it is common throughout the northern hemisphere. This is one of the only photos on the blog not taken in a ‘wilderness’. It was taken at Mt. Tabor park in Portland, a city park on a dormant volcano directly east of the city. We’ve since added another photo from a true wilderness setting, Olympic National Park.